. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/CRI/74 
4 April 2008 
 (08-1499) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  COSTA RICA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:  
Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio , MEIC 
(Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Trade) 
Dirección de Mejora Regulatoria y Reglamentación Técnica  
(Regulatory Improvement and Technical Regulation Directorate) 
Tel.: +(506) 2235-2700, ext. 203/221 Fax: +(506) 2297-1439  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and E-mail and web site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:  
TBT Enquiry Point 
Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Trade, MEIC Apartado Postal 10216-1000, San José Tel.:  (+506) 235-2700, Ext. 221 Fax:  (+506) 297-1439  
E-mail: crotc@meic.go.cr 
Web site: www.reglatec.go.cr
 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   International 
Classification for Standards (ICS) code 67.050 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  RTCA 67.04.50:08, 
Alimentos. Criterios microbiológicos para la inocuidad de los alimentos  (Central American 
Technical Regulation (RTCA) No. 67.04.50:08:   Food products.  Microbiological criteria 
for food safety) (34 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   The notified Regulation seeks to establish the microbiological 
parameters and permissible limits for the re gistration and sanitary surveillance of food 
products. 
 The provisions of this Regulation apply to  all food products marketed in Central 
American countries. G/TBT/N/CRI/74 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
 
 Protection of human health.  
8. Relevant documents:  
- Decree No. 977/96, Official Journal of 13 May 1997:  Reglamento Sanitario de los 
Alimentos  (Food Health Regulations);  
- Argentine Regulation, Section V:  De los criterios microbiológicos  (Microbiological 
criteria);  
- CAC/GL 21-1997:  Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological 
Criteria for Foods ; 
- CAC/STAN 192-1995, Rev. 5 (2004):  General Standard for Food Additives .  Appendix 
B to CAC/MISC 6-2001:  List of Codex Advisory Specifications for Food Additives ; 
- International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). 
Micro-Organisms in Foods 2:  Sampling for Microbiological Analysis:  Principles and 
Specific Applications .  Second Edition;  
- MERCOSUR Technical Regulation (Argen tina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, 
Venezuela);  
- Normas Microbiológicas por Alimentos de España (Spanish microbiological standards 
for food).  Grupo de alimentos de la Soc iedad Española de Microbiología  (Working 
Group on Food of the Spanish Microbiological Society).  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  
Proposed date of entry into force:  Upon publication in the Official Journal 
To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days as from the date of notification 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and E-mail and web site add resses, if available, of other body:  
TBT Enquiry Point 
Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio Apartado Postal 10216-1000 
Tel: +(506) 2235-2700, ext. 221 
Fax: +(506) 2297-1439 E-mail: crotc@meic.go.cr Full text available online at:  
http://www.reglatec.go.cr/descargas/RTCAcriteriosmicrobiologicosSV02-08.pdf
 
 and  http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2008/tbt/CRI/08_0979_00_s.pdf